Senior Database Administrator (SQL) - High-Impact Role

Role: Senior Database Administrator

Salary: £65k - £85k

Location: UK, Fully Remote

We’re hiring a Senior Database Administrator to join a critical internal technology function. This is a newly vacant role, stepping in as the sole in-house DBA, with ownership across high-impact projects, complex problem solving, and senior-level escalations.

This role is not BAU incident management. A third-party partner currently manages day-to-day SQL estate support.

Your focus is project delivery, design, optimisation, and acting as the internal SQL authority when things get complex or business-critical.

The role

You’ll operate as the internal SQL SME, working across the entire organisation on a wide range of programmes. Typical work includes greenfield SQL builds, cluster and DR design, legacy-to-modern migrations, and performance tuning of critical systems. You’ll take solutions from design through configuration, go-live and stabilisation, before handing over into managed services.

You’ll also provide senior oversight to third parties, deal with escalations as a fresh pair of eyes, and play a key role in the organisation’s move away from a managed service provider model.

This is a highly autonomous position. You’ll be trusted to self-deploy, take ownership, and represent SQL capability internally. Given a set of VMs and requirements, you’re expected to design, configure, troubleshoot, and deliver.

Key responsibilities

• Design and delivery of SQL Server solutions across multiple business projects
• Building and configuring SQL clusters and DR environments
• Leading database migrations from legacy platforms to modern systems
• Performance tuning and optimisation in production environments
• Installing, configuring and patching SQL Server
• Providing third-line equivalent support and escalation handling
• Acting as the internal SQL technical lead and subject matter expert
• Oversight and handover to third-party managed service providers

Technical requirements

• Strong experience with Microsoft SQL Server (2013–2022), including legacy environments
• At least 5 years’ experience as a SQL DBA in production environments
• Proven experience with SQL clustering, high availability and disaster recovery
• Strong background in migrations, patching, logging and performance tuning
• Working knowledge of PowerShell

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• Experience operating at third-line or senior escalation level
• Microsoft SQL DBA certification (or equivalent experience)
• Azure SQL experience is a bonus
• AWS exposure is useful but not essential

Additional requirements

• Comfortable acting as the internal authority and technical lead for SQL
• Eligible to pass SC Clearance and a DBS check

Working arrangement

• Primarily remote
• Office attendance once per month at most

If you’re a senior SQL DBA who enjoys ownership, autonomy, and project-led work rather than ticket-driven support, this is a chance to be the go-to expert in a highly visible role.

Apply to this advert for a technical spec.